Sat, 11 Oct 2003, 04:03 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 18th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Mert Littlefield                        6 Tate Branch
E1   ****WINNER****  0.040  5.820 246.91                     0.042 10.673  70.23
 Qualified:             #9  5.809 234.55                        #8  5.753 241.35

2:16 PM Current weather conditions: 80 degrees, 53 percent relative humidity, the barometer 29.93 inches, with a track temperature of 106 degrees.

Branch has only made one full pass this weekend, in the first round of qualifying. His problems continue, he bangs the blower and pops the burst panel about 300 feet out. Littlefield makes another good run, right down the groove.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jay Payne                             545 Thomas Frickenschmidt
E1   ****WINNER****  0.143  5.753 251.95                     0.067  6.289 171.85
 Qualified:             #7  5.743 248.41                       #10  5.813 250.62

Frickenschmidt gets the holeshot but Payne starts reeling him in right away. Payne pulls even just past half track, then Frickenschmidt blows the engine, flames coming out the right side of the car, and Payne pulls away for the win. Jay Payne's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.062), 330 ft(-0.055), 660ft(-0.027), 1,000ft(0.125). MOV: 0.4608 seconds (more than 100 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  777 John Patton                          7787 Tom Bristow
E1   ****WINNER****  0.160  5.788 251.88                     0.055  5.903 243.83
 Qualified:             #4  5.680 252.59                       #13  6.124 238.53

Bristow gets a big hole-shot and hangs on to the lead until just before they cross the finish-line. Patton then drives around and takes the win. John Patton's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.095), 330 ft(-0.078), 660ft(-0.050), 1,000ft(-0.019). MOV: 0.0102 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Bob Newberry                          440 Steve Burck
E1   ****WINNER****  0.117  5.749 248.00                     0.068  6.200 241.35
 Qualified:             #1  5.653 254.81                       #16  6.661 216.19

Burck gets the hole-shot but Newberry reels him in before they get to the sixty-foot mark. Newberry will have lane choice over Littlefield in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7850 Robert Lee                            550 Shawn Jones
E1                   0.076  5.962 242.26     ****WINNER****  0.057  5.912 243.90
 Qualified:             #5  5.693 254.81                       #12  6.027 242.91

Lee won the divisional race in Noble last weekend and has been running good all weekend. Jones has only made one good pass this weekend. Jones gets a slight hole-shot, then Lee starts reeling him in and drives around at the sixty-foot mark. He continues to pull away, then has problems, not sure what, and Jones drives around at halr-track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   52 Cy Chesterman                         496 Eddie McDow
E1   ****WINNER****  0.016  5.685 253.44                     0.077  5.904 240.25
 Qualified:             #2  5.656 256.62                       #15  6.449 216.97

Chesterman is out in front fron the hit and pulls away at every incremental. He will have lane choice over Payne in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   42 Jackie Stidham                        455 Jimmy Jones
E1   ****WINNER****  0.065  5.720 245.36                     0.053 10.591  77.57
 Qualified:             #6  5.705 252.10                       #11  5.926 245.70

Jones shakes the tires early and shuts down.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Steve Gasparrelli                     503 Joseph Percoco
E1   ****WINNER****  0.046  5.676 253.09                     0.003  9.648  92.24
 Qualified:             #3  5.673 255.02                       #14  6.241 224.55

Percoco gets out of shape right off the line, heads for the center-line and finally shuts down. Gasparrelli will have lane choice over Stidham in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink